US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Tuesday arrived in Haiti on a one-day visit to show US support for Haiti's upcoming elections, reports from Port-au-Prince said.

At a news conference after separate meetings with Haitian President Bonaface Alexandre and Prime Minister Gerard Latortue, Rice told the press that November's elections "can be a very important and precious step along the road to democracy."

She asked the Haitian leadership to ensure that the elections, scheduled for Nov. 20, be carried out smoothly and be a "new start" to end unrest and political violence in the country.

Rice urged the authorities of Haiti to accelerate the pace of electoral preparations, including the selection of sites for polling stations and registration of electoral workers.

She added that Haiti should take advantage of electoral services offered by the United Nations and the Organization of American States.

As a response to Rice's remarks, Latortue said he agreed with Rice's opinions and understood the concerns of the United States.

Rice also met officials of the UN peace-keeping forces during her brief visit, her first trip to Haiti since she took office as the US secretary of state in January.

The presidential and parliamentary elections will be the first since former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted in February 2004.

Haiti's Interim Electoral Commission said 32 candidates have been approved for presidential elections and about 700 candidates registered for the elections of 90 seats in Haiti's lower house and 30 seats in the upper house.

According to the electoral commission, by Sept. 15, only 2.5 million of the 4.5 million eligible voters in the country had registered to cast their ballots.

(Xinhua News Agency September 28, 2005)